Celebrate: full week

Ruth Ayres invites people to share a celebration every Saturday. Thinking back to a week you can pick anything - small or big - to celebrate. Thank you for the invitation, Ruth!

A full week of scheduled-planned-expected combined with unplanned-surprising-unexpected events and situations seems like a month. I had a week like that. A positive exhausting week. My head is looking for a way to organize and categorize what happened, and find meaning and lessons to take away. My heart just sings and dances, "Not everything needs to be sorted and analyzed or labeled. Enjoy and celebrate."

 I celebrate:

A full week of school

After many weeks we finally had a full school week uninterrupted by special events, conferences, holidays or field trips. Most things were planned: a third visit by a middle school science teacher to help the students to learn about simple machines, starting an inquiry unit about sustainability, reading and discussing "Love That Dog" (one of my favorite books), exploring fractions, literature circles, our school principal subbing for me and talking to kids about her life as a poet. Out of it grew a surprise poetry contest. 

Full evenings

Monday's gym lesson and Tuesday's meeting were planned. 

On Wednesday I got my first surprise. My neighbor invited me for a walk, two other women joined. Chatting with them is always a pleasure. One was a director of a kindergarten where Mimm used to go. We are both on the local school board. The second woman is an elementary school teacher, who taught my middle one for three years.  Both of them have visited my school and the teacher participated in the Reading Nest workshop last week.  Recently they and few other active community members had created a group called "Reading Bacillus."  They would like to figure out how to show to the local school and parents that there are many different ways to support and assess readers. I was honored when they invited me to join the group. I live in a small community where many people have lived for generations, they have attended the local school, and work here. I have lived here a bit more than 13 years but work in town 35 km away. I am glad that I am considered as part of the community. 

On Thursday the school held a Mother's Day concert. Mimm sang in a choir and danced with her dance group. So many talented children performed - solo singing, choir, band, national dances, modern dances, poetry. The concert was fabulous. 

On Friday I had a meeting I found out about on Wednesday. A bit of background. My friend and I are part of Estonian Reading Association. We give workshops on how to create reading nests (corners) in schools and kindergartens. Recently we have added overview of how we teach reading in our school. This year we have had several surprising requests. First one was to give a workshop at a conference, then have teachers visit our school. Last invitation was to join an international project to support parents  of children with dyslexia. Ten people from Estonia, and other people from Latvia, Czech, and Italy are part of this European Grundtvig Project. My friend and I were both hesitant to join at first, we felt our plates were full, but then we thought what a great learning opportunity it would be. Besides this year we can simply listen. Next year will be more work. Next week we will have a gathering and a small conference in Riga. Yesterday's meeting instructed and informed us. You can imagine that on Fridays after school the greatest wish usually is to crawl to bed. Walking in to the Tallinn University, where the meeting was, we found a band and a choir singing and we were cheered up. Whatever the event was, when we left, we heard the wife of our prime minister sang. In Estonia she has so far been more famous than her husband. She became second in Estonian version of Idol in 2007. I love these bizarre moments. 

Full pockets of time

I read and wrote. I talked with my family and friends. I planned and assessed. I hugged.

Full Weekend

Today will be busy - planned with household and school work

Tomorrow will be Mother's Day - I'll call my mom. I look forward to surprises from my daughters. 

Celebrate!